Swedish salad: A timeless pantry staple bringing taste to winter

Homemade preserves have played an important role in our households for generations. When the season for fresh vegetables ends and stores are filled with tasteless imported tomatoes and watery cucumbers, jars from the pantry satisfy the craving for something healthy and tasty. At home, we have made a simple Swedish salad for years. Everyone loves it, so I always try to make a large supply.

Swedish salad is a tried-and-true recipe for jarred salad. Absolutely everyone likes it, and it works great as a side dish for dinner. It complements fried, baked, and braised meats, but I also know fans of eating it straight from the jar as a snack. You can start testing the flavors after a week, but they will stay well-preserved in the pantry until winter, as long as home-made delicacies enthusiasts don't get to them first.

Swedish salad is mainly associated with winter when my grandma would take jars filled with deliciousness from her pantry. For dinners, Swedish salad was often served, which is a combination of cucumbers and carrots in a vinegar brine. Over the years, I started making these jars in my own home using a tried-and-true recipe.

The sweet and sour brine for cucumbers preserves them very well and ensures they remain crunchy and tasty after marinating. Ground cucumbers work best for preparing the salad. When they appear at the stalls, it’s a sign that it's time for canning.

Making homemade preserves can be a bit time-consuming, but the process is really simple. Even those just beginning their canning adventure can handle Swedish salad.

Ingredients:

• 9 pounds of green ground cucumbers
• 1 pound of carrots
• 1 pound of onions
• 1 cup of vinegar
• 1 pound of sugar
• 1 cup of oil
• 3 teaspoons of flat salt
• 2 teaspoons of ground pepper
• 2 small heads of garlic

Brine:

• 3.5 cups of water
• 2 cups of white sugar
• 2 cups of 10% spirit vinegar

Preparation method:

1. Thoroughly wash the cucumbers and cut them into thin slices.
2. Cut the onions into feathers.
3. Peel the carrots and grate them on a coarse grater.
4. Peel the garlic.
5. Mix cucumbers, onions, carrots, and garlic in a large bowl.
6. Add sugar, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and set the salad aside for 2 hours for the flavors to meld.
7. Prepare the brine: Boil water with sugar, stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour in the spirit vinegar and bring the brine back to a boil.
8. After 2 hours, transfer the salad to sterilized jars.
9. Pour the prepared brine over the salad.
10. Tightly seal the jars and pasteurize them in boiling water for 15 minutes. After removing them from the water, turn the jars upside down and let them cool completely.

Swedish salad is ready to eat after about 7 days. It goes perfectly with meat dishes or even burgers. Enjoy your meal!